How Percy Saved Christmas
by TheMuffinMan6969
Summary: Percy always loved Christmas growing up, but now that he's a full-time demigod, he realizes no one in the Greek world is celebrating or has celebrated it at all. So, he decides that it's up to him to bring the Christmas cheer to Olympus. ONESHOT PERTEMIS


How Percy Saved Christmas

**So I'm gonna write this and try and get it out on Christmas Eve. I wanted to write something special for the holiday so I decided to just do a oneshot based around Christmas. There is a backstory to this, but I'm not gonna write all that. Basically, Percy's semi-immortal like the hunters and he's dating Artemis. Simple. Tell me in a comment or review what you guys got for Christmas, and how your holidays went. This Christmas just seems really special for some reason.**

**I'm not gonna lie, I always hated Christmas, just like my birthday. Like my birthday though, this year my mood of the holiday has suddenly changed, and I find myself smiling bittersweetly as the holidays roll on. Like my birthday, I attribute that all to my friends and girlfriend. Thank you guys for turning my life around for the better. Thank **_**you**_ **guys for reading this story, and continuing to support me in this little therapeutic hobby of mine. Yes, I started writing because my therapist told me to write. Aside from fanfictions I write actual stories that I don't publish and have left in my docs. I write those to help myself, not for the praise of the internet.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys have a good Christmas and the best of luck to you for 2020, and the new decade that follows. Gods only know I'm gonna be trying to improve upon my life in the upcoming decade.**

How Percy Saved Christmas

_Third Person P.O.V._

The Hero of Olympus, Perseus, simply known as Percy to most, trudged through the snow in a long trench coat and woollen clothes. He shivered slightly at the late-December weather as he pulled the coat closer to cover him.

It was Christmas Eve, six hours before the clock would strike midnight and the sun pretty much gone down already. Percy had always celebrated the holidays, and he was always home with his mother, and in recent years Paul and his new little sisters, to open presents on Christmas morning and have Christmas lunch together.

But, this year they were celebrating with Paul's family and Percy assured them he'd celebrate it with his friends. So, they went ahead, and now he had no one to celebrate Christmas with. That is, until he starts asking people of course.

Percy reached Cabin 8 of Camp Half-Blood and brushed the snow off his shoulders. He hadn't even realised it began snowing, he was too busy staring at the snow on the ground that had already been there for the past week.

He opened the door carefully so that snow didn't enter and slipped in, relishing the warmth of the fireplace and taking off his coat. Seeing no coat rack, he just threw it in the corner and walked over to the other inhabitants of the room.

There was an image that would've surprised many. Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, maidens and wildlife sat on a chair reading a book to a group of young girls sitting by the fireplace. Even the older ones were there, but most of them weren't as attentive to the story as they were smiling at the scene.

Unfortunately, Percy had arrived just as the story was wrapping up, as Artemis was on the last page. "And so, they lived happily ever after." She said, smiling as she closed the book and looked at the hunters. _What a cliche ending_, Percy thought to himself. It was probably a good story, but he just hadn't been there to hear it.

Artemis looked up and only just noticed her boyfriend standing next to Thalia. "Percy. When did you get here?" She asked, smiling as many of the younger hunters quickly turned around. "Percy!" They shouted, getting up and launching themselves at him. He grunted as the impact of half a dozen girls impacting his stomach knocked him back.

"Really? I saw you guys as at breakfast." He said, knowing full well that they did this every time he arrived. "They love you, Kelphead. What do you expect?" Thalia said as she punched him in the shoulder. Percy was about to retort with something ending in 'sparky', but stopped when he felt a tugging on his hand.

He looked down to see his little sister Ariel, courtesy of Poseidon, staring up at him smiling. She was only 3, and by far the youngest of the hunters, but Percy had noticed her scent while they were in Phoenix, Arizona, and had followed it to find her in a very bad situation. Her mother had died young when she was a baby and she was left to her uncle, who didn't take kindly to having a kid dumped on him.

Needless to say, that guy wouldn't be hurting anybody anymore.

After he found her, Percy begged Artemis to let her in the hunt. He wanted to keep her somewhere he could keep an eye on her, and he hardly visited camp anymore, choosing instead to live a nomadic life with his girlfriend and the hunt.

Artemis was reluctant at first. The hunt was hardly a safe haven, as they fought monsters regularly, and occasionally a hunter would perish, though it hadn't happened at all since Zoe. Percy begged and begged, and eventually Artemis relented. Ariel would stay with the hunt, but she will not be going on any hunts or anything of the sort for another four years, when she turned 7. She did have immortality, but she would be mentally 7 by then, which was the minimum age limit for the hunt.

"Percy!" She yelled, hugging his leg and smiling up at him. "Hey Ari!" He said, crouching down and picking her up. She easily sat on his shoulders and held his hair, smiling at all the people that were now beneath her. Deciding to let her have a bit of fun, Percy began to spin around in circles as fast as he could without falling over, which became a challenge very quickly.

Ari giggled and squealed as they spun around in the middle of the room, gripping his hair painfully tight as she tried her best not to fall off. After a while, Percy slowed down to a halt and swayed slightly due to the dizziness, panting heavily. Ari giggled again, patting his head. "Good boy." She said as Percy took her off of his shoulders and placed her on the ground.

Artemis walked over and kissed Percy, making Thalia and Phoebe gag while the other hunters giggled and laughed. "Hey." He said with that signature lopsided grin as they parted. She smiled and ruffled his hair, mimicking Ari's previous words. "Good boy."

The goddess turned to the girls all staring at them. "What are you guys all looking at. Go do your own thing." She said, and the hunters immediately departed from the middle of the room, going over to their beds, to a corner to hang out or outside to play in the snow.

Percy smiled at his girlfriend. "You on moon duty tonight?" He asked, hoping the answer was no. Thankfully, she shook her head. "It's always really turbulent on Christmas Eve. The high altitude and low temperatures give me frostbite. I put it on autopilot." She said, and Percy grinned.

"You ready for Christmas?" He asked, and Artemis raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She asked, and he looked around the room and frowned. "You haven't decorated." He noted, staring at the walls that remained the same as they had all year.

Artemis shook her head. "Percy, we don't celebrate Christmas." She said, frowning at him. Percy's jaw dropped and he looked at her in shock. "What? What do you mean?" He asked. "That's not really our thing. We don't do Christmas in the hunt." She said, and he struggled to find words.

"But… it's Christmas." He said, not really sure what point he was trying to make. The goddess shook her head. "We don't do that. No tree, no presents, no lunch. None of that stuff." She said, and he sighed. "Well what am I supposed to do then? I gave up Christmas with my family to spend it with you and the girls. It was gonna be our first Christmas as a couple. I wanted it to be special…" He said, and Artemis sighed.

"It's too late. There's no time to get presents, get a tree in here, get Christmas dinner made. Sorry Percy. Maybe your friends will be celebrating it." She tried reassuring him, putting a hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off. This made Artemis sad, though she didn't show it. Even though they'd been dating for months, she didn't want Percy to see her as weak.

"Yeah. Maybe." He muttered, going over to the door and grabbing his coat. "Percy!" She called, making the man in question and a few hunters look at her. "I'm sorry." She said honestly, and the god nodded. He slipped his coat on and left without saying a word.

Percy trudged through the snow bitterly. Right now he could be sitting around a fireplace with his family, watching Christmas movies with his little sisters and eagerly awaiting the presents they would receive the next morning. But no, he chose to spend Christmas with his girlfriend, and she didn't even want to celebrate it.

How could you not celebrate Christmas. It was literally his favourite day of the year. It would normally be his birthday but that day had kinda been ruined in recent times. It was a day to gather with friends and family and celebrate all that you had in life. A day of giving and receiving.

Percy made his way to the Zeus cabin, and when he arrived he knocked four times on the wooden door. It opened slightly, and when the inhabitant saw who it was she opened it fully. "Percy! Come on in!" Piper exclaimed, stepping aside to allow him entry. He thanked her and entered, taking off his coat again and this time hanging it on a rack that the Zeus cabin actually had.

He looked around the room and smiled when he saw his friend sitting on the floor next to a baby. "Jason! How's it been, man?" He asked, making his way over as Piper shut the door. The blonde son of Jupiter smiled up at him, putting down his hand of Uno cards. "Hey Perce. I've been good. Been inside all day chilling with this little man and Piper." He said, and Percy turned to the baby sitting next to Jason.

"Hey baby Jase, how's it been?" He asked, and the infant gurgled back at him in response. Piper walked past and sat down by another hand on Uno cards, kissing the baby on the forehead. "You wanna play, Percy?" She asked, and he nodded. He sat down on the opposite side of baby Jasper and picked up the hand Piper dealt him.

A green 1, +4, color change, blue 7, yellow reverse, blue 3, green 0. Not a bad hand, but no reds.

Jason kicked off the game and placed down a card. "So, what are you guys doing for the holidays?" Percy asked, placing down his blue 7. Jason laughed. "Oh, we're not doing that." He said, and Percy looked at him in shock. "Really, you too? Why not?" He asked, disappointed.

Piper and Jason looked at each other as another turn went. Percy placed his color change and made it green. "It's just not really something we've ever celebrated." She said, and Jason nodded in agreement. "What? How?" Percy asked. He could sort of understand why Artemis didn't celebrate it, but Jason and Piper were demigods at some point too. They had a childhood.

After the second Giant war, all of the Seven accepted the godhood they were offered, except for Percy. He didn't really like the idea of being held down by godly duties and all that, plus he liked being around demigods. So, after the council voted, Artemis gave him the same immortality as her hunters. That way he could still interact with demigods while not aging and live forever.

Another turn went, and Percy was forced to place his reverse since it was made yellow. "Well, you know the kind of house Thalia and I grew up in. Our mom was always passed out on the couch Christmas morning. No tree or presents or food. Not the ideal Christmas." He said. "And my dad was never around, so the most I got was a lunch half-heartedly made by nannies." Piper said.

Percy placed down a green one. "But… you can still celebrate Christmas!" He said, disappointed that his best friends weren't even celebrating it. Jason shrugged. "It's just not our thing. Thanksgiving was fun, though." He said, remembering how Piper's dad had invited them to a Thanksgiving dinner, since he wanted to spend some time with his new grandson.

That only reminded Percy about how he spent Thanksgiving walking through Mississippi. He hadn't even found out that it was Thanksgiving until the day after. He still hadn't quite forgiven Artemis for that one.

He played his green 0. "But what about Jasper. It'll be his first Christmas! Are you really gonna miss out on that?" He asked, dumbfounded as Piper shrugged. "Well, we're not gonna celebrate it any other year, so what's the point of celebrating it now?" She asked.

Percy sighed, using a +4, calling Uno, making it blue and making Jason call out in frustration. "Are you really not gonna celebrate Christmas? The happiest time of the year?" He asked sadly. Piper nodded, playing a blue card and falling right into Percy's trap. "Percy, no one at Camp's gonna celebrate Christmas. It's just not a demigod thing." She said.

"Alright then. I'll see what Dad's doing." He relented, playing his final card and standing up. Jason groaned at the loss and Piper frowned as Percy made for the door. "Percy, wait!" She called, but her friend was already out the door and pulling his coat on.

The door shut, and the two gods were left worrying for their friend as they reshuffled the deck and prepared for another round.

Percy looked around at the camp. It was almost deserted, save for a few hunters having a snowball fight outside Cabin 8. He thought about joining them, but his mood around the hunt was soured tonight. First Thanksgiving and now this? He decided to stick by his previous words and see what his Dad was doing. It was unlikely he'd be celebrating it, but he might as well try.

He flashed into Atlantis, right next to Poseidon, who was eating dinner with his wife and son, Triton. Amphitrite squeaked at the sudden intrusion, blushing after she did so, and Triton grinned. Poseidon noticed his son and wiped his mouth, standing up to embrace him. "Percy! How are you, my boy?" He asked, parting from the hug to look at him.

Percy smiled at his father the best he could, but the hidden sadness behind it was not unnoticed by Poseidon. "I'm fine, Dad." He said, and Poseidon gripped his shoulder. "What's wrong, Percy?" He asked, and Percy dodged the question. "What are you guys doing for Christmas?" He asked, and Poseidon remained silent.

He looked to his wife for support, but Amphitrite just shrugged. He turned back to his son. "Let's talk outside." He said, nodding to the hallway. Percy nodded and followed him out, standing in the long hall. "To answer your question: Nothing. Why?" He asked, and Percy sighed.

"I thought so. I'm sorry, it's just… I usually spend the holidays with Mom and Paul and the girls but this year I wanted to spend it with Artemis and the Hunt. They don't celebrate it, though, and neither are my friends. I guess… I guess this is just something I haven't come to terms with about being a god. This is gonna be the first Christmas I've spent alone and I… I don't like it." He said.

Poseidon felt bad for his son. He knew becoming a god along with the rest of the Seven was hard on the hero, but Percy mostly kept that to himself. "Listen, Percy, no one on Olympus celebrates Christmas. It's just not something we've ever done. Maybe… maybe you can go out and do something by yourself." He said, and reached into a pocket and pulled out a credit card.

"Here. I know you're feeling down, so take this as a Christmas present. It's a credit card with unlimited money on it. Hermes gave it to me a few years ago. Go buy yourself something nice." He told Percy, patting him on the shoulder.

Percy looked down at the card. "Thanks Dad." He said half-heartedly, knowing full well that this was the only Christmas present he'd receive and that he'd never use it. Percy was never one for having expensive things.

Poseidon smiled and hugged his son once more, before leaving to continue dinner with his family. Percy flashed out to a forest near camp and sat down on a log. He fiddled with the credit card in his hands and stared up at the moon. The cold weather made him shiver slightly, and he hated the lonely feeling welling up inside him.

He looked at the credit card again. Maybe he could buy Artemis a present anyway. What would she want. He could literally buy her anything and everything.

A light bulb suddenly flashed in his head, and he sat up in shock. He had an idea. A great idea! The question was: would it work? Perhaps, if he planned it out, he could bring Christmas to Olympus. Perhaps, for a night, he could become Santa, and give people a reason to celebrate Christmas. Yes, it was just stupid enough to work.

Using what little memory he had of his trip with Artemis on her moon duty, Percy flashed onto the moon chariot. He laughed, giddy at the thought that this might just work.

Grabbing control of the reigns, he looked out at the eight reindeer in front of him. He looked down at the control panel on the side of the chariot, and flipped a switch, which turned the moon glow off. Good, now he wouldn't be spotted. Hopefully.

Percy grinned widely, and spurred the reindeer into action. They sped off, heading right for Manhattan. He stopped them, though. He needed to make a pit stop.

Hermes' house was quite well kept. It had a lavish garden, various garden gnomes and flamingos adorning the front lawn. A green ferrari 458 sat freshly polished in the driveway, contrasting well with the many Christmas lights draped across the palace.

Alright, now, take that image you had in your head and throw it away, because in reality, Hermes' palace looked like a college frat house on a Saturday morning.

Percy didn't have time to judge looks, though. He had just over three hours to get this done. He pounded on the door for a solid thirty seconds, almost hitting Hermes in the face when he opened the door. "Dude. What's wrong?" He asked drowsily. It seems he was passed out before he got up to answer the door.

"Hermes, there's no time. I need a bag that you can put an infinite amount of things in." He ordered, and the god blinked one eye at a time confusedly. "Huh?" He mumbled, but was shocked when Percy slapped him across the face. "Hermes, _there's no time_. I need a _small_ bag that you can fit an _infinite_ amount of things in." He said.

The god suddenly woke up and grinned at the hero. "Don't worry, cuz. I've got just the thing." He said, running off inside the palace. Percy tapped his foot impatiently as he waited by the door. In no time, Hermes returned holding something Percy was not expecting. A fanny pack.

"Here ya go. It's extremely stretchable, but it won't change on the outside. The more things you put in there, the deeper it becomes, but it stays the same size physically. I'm not gonna ask why you need this, but have fun!" He said, slamming the door in Percy's face with a grin. _Great. Less questions, less trouble. _Percy thought to himself before he strapped on the fanny pack and ran back to the chariot.

Percy didn't know what he would even get people. He knew most shops would most likely be sold out of all the good things at 7pm on Christmas Eve, but he didn't care. He had to try. He would bring the Christmas spirit to Olympus.

The chariot raced through the sky at top speed, and they soon came over Manhattan. Percy looked down at the streets below trying to spot a store that was still open, while also keeping an eye in front of him to make sure he didn't go flying into a plane or a building.

As he looked over the beautiful Manhattan streets, he saw a large store on the corner of some street that still had it's lights on. _Great._ He thought as he brought the chariot down.

Percy actually had no idea what to do with the chariot, so he settled for landing it on the roof and then hurrying down the fire escape to ground level. The store was lit up like a landing strip at night, with Christmas decorations inhabiting the windows all around.

It was surprisingly busy, though that also wasn't very surprising since it was the evening of Christmas Eve. People that forgot presents were probably trying to get their last-minute shopping in. Percy didn't worry about that though. He grabbed a shopping cart from beside the door and rode it off towards the toys. Sorry, he calmly walked it over to the children's department like a responsible adult.

No, he rode it.

Despite the fact that it was almost Christmas, there were a lot of things on the shelves. Sure, things were missing but almost nothing was sold out. Percy pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and then his pen. "Okay, now who am I buying presents for, exactly?" He asked no one in particular.

_Okay, we'll do the Olympians, the minor gods who have cabins at camp, plus other notable ones like Persephone and Apmhitrite and Triton. One for every camper, plus Jasper. Chiron, Peleus, Grover, Juniper, the Hunters and Artemis. Seems simple enough._ Percy thought to himself as he absentmindedly wrote down every name that came into his head. He then looked down at the paper and smiled. _Holy crap that's a lot of people._

He looked around at the shelves. _I should probably start with the campers first._ He thought, since there would be a lot of those. There were four Demeter children, and since he didn't have time to think about nor did he know each camper individually, for each one he didn't know he'd give something pertaining to their godly parent.

So he got them all sunflower plushes. Of course, he knew most of them weren't little children, but Percy thought it'd be funny. That would be a theme he'd take for most of the presents. Funny.

The Ares campers were easily. Five kids would love to beat each other to death with plastic weapons, probably even real weapons. He made sure the spear was for Clarisse. Like them, the Athena cabin was easy. He just got all six of them two books each. And by that I mean he just reached into a box of books and dug out twelve random ones.

The Apollo cabin was a bit tricky. Percy looked around the toy section before something caught his eye. When he realised what it was, his jaw dropped in happiness. Four whole buckets of kazoos for the four Apollo kids. Percy looked at the buckets in awe. _This must be heaven_. He noted as he put the buckets in the cart.

Hephaestus' cabin was also a bit hard, since there was a wide variety of things they were into. Basically anything technological or constructive. _Constructive? LEGOS!_ He thought excitedly as he sped off towards the building blocks. He thought for a moment, then decided _Fuck it, I'm infinitely rich_, and got the biggest and most expensive sets.

The Aphrodite cabin brought it back to easy mode. He knew Aphrodite well, and like any amateur observer would be able to notice, they loved nothing more than clothes and perfume. Since he was completely fashion blind, Percy decided to stick with the safer second option.

The Hermes cabin would've been easy, but Percy had a cunning plan. _How about a little prank?_ He thought noticing the bean-boozled packs laying on a shelf. The plan, basically, was that he would also buy buckets, and once he purchased them all, he would tip out the jellybeans into the buckets and gift them to the Hermes campers. _I wonder how many beans it would take for them to notice they're eating baby vomit?_

There were only two Dionysus campers. Pollux and a new camper named Celia. Percy decided that two 32 packs of Coke would do it, though Percy would make sure he drew a smiley face on Pollux's. He knew the son of Dionysus was still grieving his twin's death. He wanted to make sure Pollux's Christmas was a happy one.

He walked past some Christmas lights, and after a few seconds of thinking, he quickly took them and dumped them in the cart.

Finally, the Hades cabin, or rather, Nico. Now was also probably a good time to transition into close friends. For the young emo he decided to play a little joke by getting him fifteen children's books. Yep, that's not a joke. It's okay though, some of them came with toys.

Leo and Calypso. Surprising even Percy, the store sold fire extinguishers. For whatever reason. Calypso was a bit harder, but he found a small greenhouse area in the store and bought her a flower not unlike the one she gave him on Ogygia all those years ago. _How big is this store__?_ He wondered as he stared at the flower he carefully placed in the cart.

Grover and Juniper. He figured grover would look good in a Bob Marley t-shirt. He didn't bother with pants. He felt that Juniper, much like Calypso, would appreciate a flower she could plant in her garden, though he got her a different type. What type? How the Hades would he know.

For Rachel he scooted over to the home decor department and found a very large painting he thought she might like. It may serve as good inspiration. Annabeth was as easy as her siblings. She'd been talking to Percy recently about books she'd been wanting to read. Somehow he remembered every single one of them, and after five minutes of searching he found them in the store.

Chiron was complicated, but Percy quickly settled for one of those toy horse heads on a stick. That would probably make Chiron laugh.

Hazel and Frank weren't very easy. He decided on getting Hazel a bracelet with many different jewels adorning it. Sure, it was a bit pricey, but Percy had infinite money, so who cares? While looking for Frank's present, Percy came across something, and he almost broke down when he saw it.

It looked almost exactly like Percy's pillow pet, which had been murdered by Octavian when he first joined the legion. Percy almost cried as he looked at the panda, strapped so it was in it's animal form. It was then that Percy knew that he was the perfect present for Frank.

Finally, Jasper, Piper and Jason. He knew Piper had been getting into photography recently, so he went and found the newest camera available, whose model was too many letters and numbers for Percy to comprehend. Jason was less easy, but Percy had a really good idea for him. He looked around the office department for a bit before he found it. Percy immediately dumped all the staplers into the cart.

He sighed, wondering what baby Jasper would like. He was still very young, so Percy didn't quite know what he'd like. Deciding to stick with something he wouldn't choke on, Percy got him a dog plushie.

He sighed, looking at the cart that was filled to the brim with stuff. _I'll get the rets after._ He thought, heading to the checkout. The guy at the front desk had his eyes falling out of his head at the sight. As Percy approached the counter, the man gulped. "Are you robbing us?" he asked, and Percy laughed.

Deciding to prank him a little, our hero slowly reached into his pocket while smirking at the teen. His eyes widened and he backed up a bit, and Percy swiftly pulled out the credit card. "Nope, I'm just getting started." He laughed as the guy began to scan the items. "Can you wrap these?" He asked, and the guy groaned. "Angelina!" He called.

Another employee came out and gasped at the sight of the cart. "Come on, we gotta wrap these." He said, and she nodded. Percy looked over and saw some gift name tags. "I'll take those too." He said, he said, grabbing five of them and scanning them for the guy. Knowing he was gonna pay for them anyway, Percy started peeling them off and writing each person's name on them as each present came, despite the cashier's protests.

It took almost twenty minutes, but finally everything was wrapped and in the cart. Percy assured them he'd be back and left the store, heading for the alley. The two cashiers were still in shock that the credit card came up approved.

Once in the alley, he decided to test out Hermes' bag. One by one, he stuffed each present inside like he was robbing a bank. Surprisingly, yet also not surprisingly, they all fit, and he could feel the interior of the fanny pack getting deeper with each gift.

Once they were all in, he went back inside and continued shopping.

_Right, now the gods._ Percy thought. _What the frickity frick would Zeus want?_ The King of the gods was truly a hard person to buy for. What could a king who has everything possibly want?

_One dvd copy of every season of Spongebob Squarepants ever? Why Percy, that's a great idea. Sorry, what did you say? That's a terrible idea? _

Percy found them…

Hera was also a confusing choice. _Ugh, why do gods have to be so complicated?_ He scooted around the store for quite a while, before he came across the perfect present. A $50 gift card to Lowe's. _That's what you get Hera. _Percy laughed, then his expression immediately softened. _I'm just kidding, I love my aunty, I'd never do anything mean to her. She's the best. She's still getting the gift card, though._ He thought.

Man, Percy really was weird.

_Dad? What would Dad li-_ Percy halted as he walked past the DVD section once again. Finding Dory was on full display for whatever reason, and Percy simply stood admiring it for a while before picking it up and throwing it in the cart. _I might have to get one for myself,_ he thought absentmindedly.

Amphitrite and Triton were next, and as a playful jab, Percy got them some deodorant and makeup. He would make sure to switch the nametags around.

Demeter was easy, he just got her a bag of wheat bread.

Hades was a little more complicated. Remembering what he had once seen at Paul's parents' house, he looked around before finding it. A small statue of a skeleton that, when you pressed a button, would start singing along to _Moves Like Jagger_ by Maroon 5. Percy absentmindedly hummed 'Spooky Scary Skeletons' as he looked for the next present.

That next present was Hestia, and Percy truly didn't know what to get her. He looked all over, but couldn't seem to find the right thing. After all that searching, Percy got her a card. He knew she was more of a 'It's the thought that counts' type of person, and he figured writing a heartfelt card would be more precious to her than some material possession.

Like their children, Ares and Athena were easy to buy presents for. For Ares, since this was America, he went to the guns. _Why are there guns in this department store?_ Percy wondered, but then remembered that song he'd heard on the radio once.

A

After a lot of careful consideration, and some help from the attendant, he settled on something that was probably illegal. A Franchi Spas-12 shotgun. Oh, a quick update from the cashier in the weapons section. Only the 2000 models made before it became illegal are legal, so he could buy it. Here's a surprise for you: Percy has a gun license

Moving on.

Athena, as stated before, was easy. He just got her a crap ton of books and a clock shaped like an owl. Percy didn't count how many books he'd just thrown in the cart.

Apollo was less easy than his kids. As god of music, he pretty much had every instrument, so there wasn't much he could do there. Eventually, Percy settled on some CD's, and like Athena, just tipped a whole bunch of them into the cart.

Hephaestus was complicated, so he bought him a whole bunch of Lego sets. Percy had no doubt that the god will have finished them all by Boxing Day. _Wow, they have Lego Avengers now_. Percy thought as he strolled down to find Aphrodite something.

Very surprisingly, Percy and Aphrodite had formed an unlikely friendship since he became a god. Percy could confidently call her his best godly friend, and definitely one of his best friends over all. For all their differences, they sure went well together.

Sure, Aphrodite had just been trying to get into his pants originally, but after coming to terms with the fact that he was madly in love with Artemis and that wouldn't work, she became good friends with the former demigod. She found herself respecting him for his personal qualities as much as she drooled over his physical ones.

Percy wanted to get her something special as a thank-you for being such a good friend. She was the reason he was even dating Artemis now, since she'd given him advice on his feelings and how to ask her out.

He wandered over to the jewellery section and began to look over the various crystals and rings. He began inspecting the necklaces, and one in particular caught his eye. It was simple. A silver teardrop-shape with a large emerald adorning it, but it was just so beautiful. _A beautiful necklace for a beautiful friend_. He smiled, buying it off the cashier and having it wrapped.

Hermes was next, and Percy wondered what the hell to get him. He looked around at the floor, as if that would have anything. It had nothing but a nickel and some string. Percy grinned. _Perfect_.

Picking it up, he tied the string around the coin and put it in his pocket. Hermes would know what to do next.

Dionysus was easy. Percy found the grocery department and randomly selected a wine and threw it into the cart. Wait, no, he carefully placed the _glass_ bottle in the cart. Hopefully the god of wine didn't care about quality.

Now the Minor gods. Surprisingly, each were very easy. For Nemesis he bought a knife from the weapons area. Iris would receive one of those rainbow tie-dye shirts she liked so much. Hebe was getting makeup. Tyche would receive Lucky Charms. For Hypnos he bought sleeping pills, and finally for Nike he got a plastic crown. Realising he forgot their cabins, he got the exact same thing times how many campers there were of theirs.

_Oh yeah, Persephone_. Percy remembered as he looked around. _Well, guess it's back to the flowers._ He thought as he ran to get yet another flower. A different species, of course.

Percy returned to the checkout, and the guy sighed as he realised he'd have to do this again. "What is this even for, anyway? Surely you don't have _this much_ family." He said, spreading his arms, to the cart. "Charity." Percy lied, and the guys mood brightened. _Actually, it might be nice to get presents for an actual charity. I'll get it with the Hunters' gifts._ He thought.

"Oh really? If your stuck on which one to choose, my little brother's in the children's hospital not too far from here. I see him often, and it's a miserable place. I'm sure it would absolutely make those kid's days if they woke up on Christmas morning with presents under the tree." He said sadly, and his co worker put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I'll be sure to stop by." Percy promised as they finished up, and he swiped his credit card. The two sighed in shock as it once again came up approved. Percy briefly wondered why they didn't question the charity thing considering his cart also contained a shotgun and knives.

Again, the same deal, the god left the store and entered the alley. He unzipped the fanny pack and proceeded to shove all the presents in there with ease, before reentering the store for the final round.

Very surprisingly, the Hunters were easy to buy for. There were a total of 19 girls in the hunt, so I'm not gonna go over all of them.

Knowing Phoebe would be thoroughly pissed, Percy bought her a Justin Bieber doll that sang when you pressed a button. He had no doubt that the poor thing would be smashed to pieces immediately.

Still, he had his fun jamming out to 'Baby' in the back of the store.

Atalanta was fun, because he decided that he would get multiple plushies for her to decorate her bed with. He chose a variety, from lions to pigs and from Iron Man to Totoro. Basically, the top of his cart was lined with plushies. Atalanta would most likely dump them out the window but oh well.

Thalia's was simple. A small Santa statue that, like the Skeleton when pressed, would play a song and danced. Percy didn't recognise the song and cringed at the vulgarity of it. He looked on the back and saw it was credited as _New Christmas Song by Kevin Bloody Wilson._

Percy knew exactly what he was getting Artemis, but that would be the last thing he got. It wasn't something he could put in his bag. Precious cargo.

Sticking to his promise of donating to the hospital, Percy went to the toy section and dumped a lot in there. _A lot_ of toys. Various things which he was mostly unfamiliar with, being a young adult and all, but he could tell the kids would love it.

After all that shopping, Percy made his way to the checkout. "Alright, this is the last of it." He said, bring the cart up to the counter. The two workers smiled at the fact that there wasn't as much stuff as last time, and began to do their thing.

"Again, thank you so much for donating to the children's ward. I'm sure it'll mean so much to them." He thanked, and Percy smiled as he wrote names on the tags. "It's no problem, really. Season of giving, after all." He remarked, making the workers smile.

"Yeah, well you're sure giving a lot. We've probably sold more to you today than everyone else this month combined." He laughed. They finished quickly, and Percy swiped his credit card.

Greeting the cashiers goodbye, he shook their hands and left. He had one last place to go, and he would as soon as he stuffed these gifts into his fanny pack.

Once he was done, he walked fast down the street, intending to get home as soon as possible. After ten minutes of walking, he found it.

The animal shelter

It was quiet on Christmas Eve. One man sat alone at the front desk reading the newspaper, and he raised an eyebrow as Percy walked in. Percy approached the desk, smiling cheerfully at the man who was in his 60s. "Hi. I'd like to adopt a dog, please. Do you have any available?" He asked.

The old man smiled and pit down his paper. "Right this way, my boy." He said, opening a door and walking through. Percy followed, and they walked down a long hallway, covered on both sides by cages containing animals.

Percy hated seeing animals like this. Alone. Abandoned. Cold. Sad. It made his heart break. The man led him down another hallway and into a room, which was just like the hallways only wider.

"Take your pick. These are the ones who've been here the longest. Sad thing is most of 'em aren't even adults and they're still the longest stayed residents." He said sadly.

Percy looked around, and his heart broke as he realised he couldn't take them all. He looked at each cage individually, but one in particular caught his attention. Three German Shepherd puppies stared up him half-sad and half-excited. They looked beautiful. They all had the same golden skin with black markings common of their breed, but the eyes were extraordinary.

One had sapphire blue eyes, one had emerald green eyes and one had amethyst purple. All of their eyes lit up the dark cage. He turned to the man. "How about these?" He asked.

The man walked over, smiling. "Ah, those ones are triplets. They were found together out the back of the place, and they've never been separated since." He frowned suddenly. "They were due to be put down tomorrow morning, in order to make room for the many incoming animals. Its a cruel world out there my boy." He shook his head sadly.

"On thing. If you plan on getting one, I highly implore you to get all three. I would hate for them to lose a brother on their last on this Earth." He begged, and Percy looked back at the pups. Artemis would like three. "I'll take 'em." He decided.

The man smiled. "Excellent! You've made my day boy. I was quite fond of these three. Come out front and we'll get the paperwork sorted." He said, walking back out. Percy followed him, promising the wailing pups he'd be back and they quickly filed everything that they needed to.

Percy bought additional things like toys, blankets and food for them while the guy went to get the dogs. They came out looking happy as ever with their new collars and leads, and the man even gave Percy a box to put them and the stuff in.

"This for anyone in particular?" He asked as Percy picked up each other and nuzzled it, smiling at the god. Percy smiled right back. "Yep, my girlfriend's gonna be so happy when she opens her present tomorrow morning to see these little guys waiting for her." He said, patting them.

The guy laughed then tipped his cap. "Well good luck to you, kid. Have a Merry Christmas." He said, and Percy grinned as he opened the door. "Merry Christmas to _you_, sir." He cheerfully greeted as he left.

_Man, those guys back at Camp really don't know what they've been missing out on with Christmas._ He thought as he reached the Chariot. He strapped the pup's box in tight in the passenger seat and set off, deciding that it was time to deliver the presents.

He visited Olympus first, targeting each palace of the gods he was gifting to. Knowing that they would catch him if he broke in, he settled for leaving the presents on the doorstep or, if the fire wasn't going, dropping them down the chimney.

Surprisingly, nothing broke.

It was late at night, and everyone was asleep. Everyone, of course, but the kitchen.

"Alright! Here's what I need you all to do." Percy shouted as he entered the bustling kitchen. Immediately, the room was silenced, and Percy soon found dozens of Nymph eyes on him expectantly and confusedly.

"I want to make this the best Christmas dinner the world has ever seen. Okay? I'm sure you all know how to cook Christmas foods. I'm talking Gingerbread houses, fruitcake, ham. All that good stuff. I want it cooked to perfection and delivered to Camp Half Blood tomorrow at lunchtime. Got it?" He asked, and the Nymphs immediately sprung into action.

Satisfied, Percy left to deliver the presents to the hospital.

A lovely old woman sat at the fronr desk of the children's ward when Percy entered. She smiled up at him, then noticed the wagon full of presents he pulled behind him. "How may I help you, sir? Visiting times are over." She asked, hopeful that he was here for the reason she thought.

The young man smiled charmingly. "I'd like to donate these presents to the children's ward. Just some toys for them. I'd hate for them to be forgotten on Christmas." He said, and the old woman jumped up in joy.

"Oh, just wonderful! I'm sure the children would be absolutely delighted. Right this way, sir." She said, scampering off to a room. Percy followed behind her. They entered the living room of the ward, where a Christmas tree was set up by the TV.

"All we've had so far is gifts from family, but I know for a fact that there are some children who haven't got any gifts under the tree." She said sadly as she began unloading them. Percy bent down to help her.

"Yes, well I was directed here by an older brother of a patient. He works at the store I bought these from." Percy told her, and the woman smiled. "Ah, young Mr Davenport. He always comes to visit as soon as he gets off work. His younger brother is one of the more ill patients, but the doctors are quite optimistic. They say they'll be able to remove the tumor if they slot him in for surgery tomorrow night. I pray that everything goes well for him." She said dearly.

Percy smiled. _Please Fates, let that kid be alright._

They finished unloading, and the nurse smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Mr?" She trailed off. Percy smiled. "Jackson. Percy Jackson." He said, holding out a hand. She took it in both and shook it gratefully. "You will have made the children's day!" She thanked him one more time before he left.

As Percy walked back to the chariot, he thought to himself. _That felt good. Really good._ He hopped in the chariot and raced off to Camp.

Camp was dark. The fire was out, and Percy felt that the place was really hollow. He looked up at Thalia's tree. It was so barren aside from Peleus snoozing away.

He approached the tree and reached inside his fanny pack, pulling out the Christmas lights. "I knew I'd need these." He muttered to himself, waking Peleus. The dragon watched as Percy wrapped lights all around the tree, careful to avoid the golden fleece. It didn't quite understand why his friend was doing this, but it didn't argue, choosing to go back to sleep.

Percy stepped back and looked at his work. He needed electricity. He'd get it soon.

Since there were no gods aside from Artemis and Dionysus, he entered each cabin to place the gifts in a corner of the room personally. Everyone was asleep, which was good.

Dionysus didn't catch him, which was unsurprising considering he was passed out on the couch of the Big House. Percy left the wine next to him and Chiron's gift by the TV.

It was in the Hunter's cabin he ran into trouble. Artemis didn't wake up, so he quickly emptied the hunter's presents in the middle of the room. Unfortunately for him, someone heard the commotion.

"Santa?" He heard the familiar voice of Ari ask from beside him. He turned, and in the darkness was just able to see her sitting up. In his best Santa voice he could do without giving away his identity, he said. "Go to sleep, little girl."

Ari rubbed her eyes. "Is it really you?" She asked, still dumbfounded. Percy gave a quiet hearty laugh. "Why yes, it is I, Santa Claus. Now, go back to sleep, little one. You wouldn't want to end up on the naughty list, would you?" He said, and she shook her head. "No!" She whispered before lying down and squeezing her eyes shut.

Percy went back to the presents. _Tracy, that's 17. Abigail, that's 18. Shit, where's 19?_ Percy panicked. He went over the list of hunters in his head. _Oh shit, I forgot Ari's._ He panicked. He needed to go and get her something. Quickly, Percy placed down the snoozing pups who's box had been taped closed and left.

Before he got on the chariot, he grabbed the _really _long plug for the lights. He dragged it to the Hunter's cabin, and after barely managing to stretch it in, the plug made contact with Thalia's outstretched finger.

Bzzt

Suddenly the tree lit up like the Fourth of July, and Percy grinned. He looked at Ari's form on the bed. _I'll make sure your Christmas is a merry one, little sis._ He promised silently.

Surprisingly, the store was still open despite it being almost midnight. The cashier didn't have time to register Percy entering fully before the guy had run to the back of the store where the toys were located.

He didn't have to spend too long deciding, as he found the perfect gift almost immediately. It was a small brown teddy bear. Simple, but Ari would love it. He grinned as he grabbed the thing, running to the front of the store. "Hey, back again." He panted, placing the teddy on the counter.

The guy smiled. "I thought that was you. You forget something?" He grinned, looking down at the teddy as he scanned it. Percy nodded. "Yeah, my little sister's present. I also visited the hospital. The old woman working there was very nice." Be remarked, and the teen smiled.

"Mrs Gold? Yeah, she's great. She really loves the children. Listen man, that really means a lot to me. Thank you." He said, and Percy smiled. "No problem. I love giving." He said as he swiped the card. "You're right on time. We close at 12." The man said. Percy looked at his watch. 11:59.

He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the guy, before heading for the door. He noticed a masked man entered the store, but didn't register it until he heard shouting from behind him. He whirled around, and gasped as he saw the masked man pointing a gun at the cashier.

Percy was in shock. The store was getting robbed. The guy had a gun! He couldn't even defend himself, since Riptide only worked on Greek things. He contemplated what to do. He could run out the door and save himself, he could get help. Or he could cause a distraction and allow the cashier to escape, maybe getting killed while doing so.

Percy bit his lip, looking between the door and the crime. He then made up his mind. "Fuck it. HEY!" He screamed, grabbing the guys attention. The man whirled around, and Percy moved closer. "Get the fuck outta here!" Percy shouted, and the man simply laughed. _Fuck._

"Oh yeah? Fuck you, buddy!" The guy shouted before firing. Percy gasped as the bullet entered through him. Piercing the right side of his chest and flying out the back, and he soon fell to the floor. Fortunately, the cashier managed to grab a bat, and with one good swing, knocked the man down and out.

He dropped the bat, running over to Percy, who lay bleeding and gasping for air. "No, no, no. Hang in there, buddy. I'm gonna call 911." He said, grabbing his cell phone and dialing the numbers.

Percy looked behind him at the clock at the checkout.

00:00. Christmas Day.

So Percy closed his eyes.

All over Olympus and Camp Half-Blood, gods and demigods woke up to find presents awaiting them. They confusedly opened them to find the gifts that one Hero of Olympus had given to them in the night.

In the Big House, the God of Parties opened his eyes to a hazy world, devoid of clear thought. He scanned the room, looking for his sole reason for living. His gaze was drawn to the mini-fridge, which was stocked with his many cans of Diet Coke.

He suddenly looked at the floor, and noticed something that was shaped distinctly like a bottle of wine. The god grinned, picking up the bottle and tearing the lid off. He heard the sound of paper tearing as he did so but paid it no mind as he sipped on the delicious beverage he'd been craving.

On Olympus, in a pristine palace with pink wallpaper all around, a goddess wearing nothing but a bathrobe and holding a cup of coffee gently in both hands. She descended the stairs still waking up from last night's _activities_.

When she entered her living room, she almost dropped her mug in shock. There, sitting by the fireplace, was a small box. It was red, with a green ribbon slapped on it. Aphrodite frowned in suspicion before approaching the box.

She knelt down beside it, placing her coffee on the table in front of the couch. The goddess picked up the box and shook it. She had absolutely no idea what it was. For a moment she hesitated, remembering the story of Pandora, but that thought went out the window as she tore the wrapping off.

It was a black box, and when she opened it, she gasped in shock. It was a necklace, the most beautiful she'd ever seen. It was silver, with a simple design around the edges, but a large emerald adorning it in the middle. She clutched it tightly in one hand and looked in the box. There was a note. Aphrodite picked it up and read it silently.

_Aphrodite,_

_I gave you this necklace as a Christmas present, because I want to bring the joy of Christmas to Olympus. Not the Jesus part, the actually fun part. I also gave it to you as a thank you. Thank you for being such a good friend to me, and for being there for me when I felt alone. Transitioning into godhood was hard, but you were there to help me every step of the way. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today, so thank you. Merry Christmas._

_-Percy_

The goddess smiled as she put the necklace around her neck. The cold touch felt nice on her chest, and she silently thanked Percy. She would celebrate Christmas, for her friend.

Not too far away, Hestia walked into her living room eating a bowl of cereal. She could have cooked herself something nice, but she felt like relaxing today. Like Aphrodite, she immediately noticed the present by the fireplace when she entered. Though, unlike the goddess of love, hers wasn't a box. It was an envelope.

The eldest goddess on the Olympian council opened the envelope and pulled out a card. It was a joke card, with a monkey in a santa hat on the front grinning out at her. She chuckled, opening the card and reading it.

_Hestia_

_Thank you for being their when my Mom couldn't. Love you, Aunt._

_-Percy_

It was short, but sweet, and Hestia loved it.

In Cabin 8 of Camp Half-Blood, Artemis was woken up by Thalia bursting into her room, which was separate from the rest of the cabin where the hunters slept. "Milady! Come quick!" She shouted, immediately running back into the main room. Artemis, more prepared for the worst than a redneck in a bunker, immediately shot up and ran out, still in her pajamas.

She raised her bow, looking around the room for any threats. She saw none, but noticed that all her hunters save ones that were still waking up were huddled in the corner. She lowered the bow and walked over. "Alright, back up. What's going on here?" She asked them all. Her hunters complied, and she got a good view of what was in the corner.

Maybe 20 boxes, all wrapped up like presents.

"What the fuck?" She wondered, kneeling down beside them. As she picked one up, she realised something. "They're named? Courtney, this one has your name on it." She said, looking at one of her hunters. The 14 year old's eyes widened, and she tentatively took it from the goddess' hands.

Carefully, wondering if it was a bomb, she unwrapped the gift while everyone else watched. When she finished, she looked it over. It was a book. One she'd been wanting to read for a while now. "It's a book. I don't remember ever telling anyone about this except…" She trailed off, looking at Artemis.

All the older hunters and the goddess had the same thought. _Percy._ Once the younger hunters realised the presents were safe, they immediately dove in to find theirs. The older hunters shrugged and helped them find the presents, before looking at their own.

Artemis folded her arms and smiled. Leave it to Percy to bring Christmas to them even after being told they didn't celebrate it. It's not like they didn't like the holiday, it's just that it was a Christian holiday, based around a deity from a completely different pantheon. It'd be like them celebrating the festival of Thor.

Plus, it was a family holiday, and Olympus wasn't the most stable family. They tried Thanksgiving once, and that didn't go too well.

"Lady Artemis, this one's for you!" Atalanta said, pointing to a large box. The hunter immediately jumped back in shock. "Holy- I think it just moved!" She gasped, pointing at it. Artemis' eyes narrowed in suspicion as she drew her knife. She crept towards the package and knelt down, carefully tearing open the top of the wrapping paper.

As the paper unfolded and Artemis looked inside, she gasped and dropped the knife, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. The hunters all crowded around and gasped as well. Inside the box were three adorable little German-Shepherd puppies staring up at them all in a mix of fear and excitement.

Tears came to Artemis' eyes as she was overwhelmed with this. _Why the fuck am I crying?_ She thought as she picked up the one with the blue collar. She held it above her and looked him over. He was so small and fragile, and so so cute. Artemis never thought she'd describe something as cute, but these three were.

Atalanta and Thalia each came over and picked up a puppy, cradling them like babies as the hunters all cooed over the animals. Now, everyone was sitting around and enjoying their presents, or if they were Phoebe, angrily smashing it to pieces on the floor.

Atalanta had no idea what to do with the plushies she'd received, so she just gave some of them to the dogs as chew toys. They were holding up pretty well. None of the plushies had been pierced, which meant that either they were good armor or the puppies' teeth were blunt.

Artemis looked around, smiling at the scene, until she noticed Ari sitting on her bed alone, frowning as she looked at everyone. Artemis walked over, sitting on the bed next to the young girl. "Hey, you alright? What'd you get?" She asked comfortingly.

The girl looked up at her, on the verge of tears. "I didn't get anything." She said, and Artemis was shocked. _How could Percy forget his sister?_ She wondered. Ari sniffled, and hugged Artemis. "I saw him. I saw Santa." She admitted, and Artemis' eyes widened.

"He told me to go back to sleep, or I would end up on the naughty list. I tried my best, but I couldn't fall asleep quick enough. Now I don't get anything." She cried. The goddess' heart broke. It was her first Christmas, and she was the only one who didn't get anything. She was definitely going to have a little chat with Percy when she found him.

"It's okay. Just let me get dressed and we'll go find where Santa left your present. I'm sure he just dropped it somewhere. Okay?" She said reassuringly, and Ari sniffled once more, before nodding silently. Artemis let go of her and returned to her room, replacing her boxers and t-shirt with a woolen shirt and her usual silver parka, blue skinny jeans and fur hunting boots.

She told the hunters that she was going to go look for Percy, which confused some of the younger hunters, but the older ones nodded and assured her they'll be fine. She left the cabin and entered the cold weather, her boots scrunching in the snow. She didn't shiver since she was in such warm clothes, but she did stop dead in her tracks.

Thalia's pine tree was lit up with Christmas lights, and the dragon guarding it was looking up confusedly. Slowly, people started exiting their cabins and looking around, some holding random objects. _He did this for everyone._ Artemis briefly thought to himself before shaking herself out of her stupor.

"APOLLO!" She screamed, forcing her twin to flash in next to her. He grinned, his pearly white teeth matching the snow. "Hey sis! Man, its cold out. Did you get a present from Percy too?" He asked, holding up five CDs, only some of which she recognized. "I got way more but I couldn't fit them all in my pocket." He said, pocketing them.

Artemis nodded. "Yeah, the whole hunt got them. And by the looks of it, the whole camp. All my hunters, however, except for one. His younger sister, Ari." She said, pissed at Percy. Apollo hissed in sympathy. "Ooh, bummer. What'd ya get?" He asked, his concern vanishing almost immediately.

She rolled her eyes. "He got me three puppies, but that's not-" She was cut off by Apollo, who almost squealed. "Puppies! I love puppies! If you just got them, they haven't been trained yet, which means I can pet them and hug them and all that without getting mauled. Where are they?" He looked around excitedly, and Artemis slapped him.

"Apollo! A little girl is in my cabin crying because she was the only one that didn't get a present. I'm sure it was a mistake, but I need your help finding Percy." She said expectantly. He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the goddess of hunting? Can't you track him down?" He asked, confused.

His sister shook her head. "That only works when I have something like tracks or his scent or his shit, and I don't know about you, but I don't see any of Percy's turds laying around. I could track him immediately since I'm the moon goddess, but that only work at night. Since its morning, you can do it, so hurry up." She urged, and he nodded.

Apollo closed his eyes for a few seconds, then frowned. "He's at the hospital in Manhattan." He said, and that's all Artemis needed to hear. Her heart sank, and she flashed into an alley near the hospital. Dreading what she would find, she ran in and up to the front desk, almost bowling over an old woman on the way. "Artemis!" Apollo shouted from behind her, trying to catch up.

The woman at the desk, a middle aged black woman, looked up at her with an eyebrow raised. The auburn-haired woman looked disheveled, and she wondered what she could possibly want. "Is- is Percy Jackson here?" She asked, unsure of what to say.

The woman typed something in her computer and frowned. "And who are you?" She asked, looking up at the young woman. "His girlfriend." She said, hoping to move this along. The woman stood up, moving out from behind the desk and walking down a hall. "Follow me."

They walked for a few minutes, and the woman started speaking without looking back at her. "You're aware of what happened?" She asked, expecting a yes. Artemis shook her head even though the woman couldn't see it. "No, I just learned that he was in hospital. I don't know why." She said. The woman 'hmm'd.

"Came in an ambulance with a hole in his chest. Some asshole tried to rob a store that he was shopping at, and he decided to be the hero and allow an employee enough time to grab a bat and take the guy down. Unfortunately, the wasn't before the man shot him in the chest with a .44 magnum. Bullet went right through and out the back." She said, and Artemis gasped as tears came to her eyes again.

"He's had surgery. Both holes been stitched up, but he's resting at the moment. Don't be alarmed if blood starts soaking through the bandages, its normal." She said, stopping at a room. "He's asleep, so unless you want to talk to him, keep it down." She said, letting Artemis walk in.

There lay her boyfriend, shirtless to allow doctors to access his chest and wound. His torso was bandaged up, and he had a breathing apparatus on and his eyes were closed. Apollo didn't follow her in, so she had no idea what he was doing. Probably hitting on some nurse.

She pulled a chair over and sat down beside Percy, grabbing his hand in her own. She sat there beside the man she loved, and for the first time, she prayed. She prayed to the fates to let her boyfriend live. She sat there and she held his hand tight, not wanting him to slip away.

She heard the suction of air being released and she opened her eyes. Percy had taken the apparatus off and was smiling at her. "Moonbeam…" He whispered, smiling at her. Artemis couldn't help herself. She launched forward and engulfed the man in a hug. Percy laughed and cried out in pain simultaneously. "Ah… Arty… hurts…" he choked out, patting her on the back. The goddess backed up, apologizing profusely.

Suddenly, her mood changed, and she slapped his shoulder hard. "How could you forget your sisters present?! Do you know how upset she is right now? She thinks she got put on the naughty list for not going to sleep quick enough!" She yelled, making Percy laugh.

He looked over at the table next to him, and Artemis saw a little bundle of wrapping paper. "I went back to the store to get her present. It was a teddy bear. There was a man…" He said, drifting off. Artemis placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "I know, Percy. The receptionist told me everything." She said.

The goddess suddenly leaned forward and kissed him softly. "That's for being a hero." She said, leaning back in to kiss him again. They sat there, making out in the room for a few minutes before Artemis began to feel lightheaded and pulled away. They grinned and each other, and Peecy stroked her hand. "How'd you like your present?"

Artemis smiled. "I loved it, Percy. So did the hunters. Have you named them?" She asked. Percy shook his head. "Nah, I was sort of thinking that we'd name them and make them immortal when you opened your present, but that plan also required me being in your bed when you woke up." He said sheepishly. His goddess smiled. "We'll figure it out when we get back." She said.

_Milady, you need to come back to camp now._ Thalia's voice sounded in her head. The lieutenant of the hunt had prayed to Artemis, but why? She stood up, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up too. He winced but stood as she grabbed his bloody shirt and coat that had a hole in it. "What's happening?" He asked. "I don't know, but we need to get back to Camp." She told him.

He nodded, and knowing he was currently weak, she flashed him out. They arrived at camp, scanning the area for any possible danger, but they soon found what all the commotion was about.

Dozens of Nymphs were loading food onto the tables in the dining area, which had all been pulled together to make one very long table. Torches and the firepit were being lit to warm the area, and the gods were all there looking on just as confused as the demigods. "What are you all doing? Who ordered this?" Zeus asked, confused.

Percy chose that moment to step up. "I did." Immediately all eyes turned to him. "Percy? You?" Poseidon asked. He nodded, hobbling over to stand at the head of the table. "You all didn't want to celebrate Christmas, because you didn't understand it. You thought it was just celebrating the birth of some bearded guy we don't give two shits about. Well its not. It's so much more." He said.

"So, I brought Christmas to you. To show you that Christmas is a time of giving, a season of happiness, a day where families can come together and love each other. Even families as fucked up as ours." He told them as the Nymphs finished placing the plates on the table.

"Wait, so that was you who gave us all those presents?" Hermes asked, figuring it out along with everyone else. Percy nodded. "Thanks to Dad's limitless credit card, Artemis' moon chariot and Hermes' bottomless bag, I was able to get gifts for every single one of you. I was able to let you experience the joy of waking up on Christmas day and opening presents. A first time experience for most of you." He said.

Artemis chose that moment to go over to Ari and hand her the gift. "Santa dropped it out in the forest." She made up an excuse as Ari opened it to reveal a teddy bear. Despite the simplicity, the girl loved it, and she had to refrain from yelling out in joy. She settled for hugging the toy close to her.

"So, I ask of you all. Join me. Let's be a real family for once, even though it may only last for today. Let the gods sit amongst their children and feast. Let us put aside our differences and petty disputes and sit together, eat together, sing together, and love together. Let us have an Olympian family Christmas." Percy declared, sitting down at the head of the table.

Slowly, the campers began to sit down at the table and eat, and soon enough, the gods did too. There was no separation, discrimination, class or thrones here. Just gods sitting, talking and laughing with their children. It was something which Percy had wished for after the Titan War, but it was never fully granted. Until now.

For once, Zeus didn't sit at the head of the table. He sat next to Thalia, Jason and his grandson, laughing away as he chowed down on some chicken legs.

Artemis and Aphrodite sat on either side of Percy, and at their side weren't people you'd expect like a hunter or Ares. It was just two random campers who chose to sit there. The sat, ate and chatted with the goddesses as if that was the norm.

Percy smiled as he looked at his family. A family that had been broken for too long, being held together for a day. Sure, it was probably just a day. Tomorrow, things would go back to normal. Artemis would beat any male that tried to speak to her. Zeus would smite anyone that dared insult him. Dionysus would pass out drunk on the floor or the Big House. They would go back to being their normal, dysfunctional family.

But today they were together, and that was all Percy could ask. Because that was the beauty of Christmas. It takes even the most shattered families and can mend them just like that, even if only for a day.

There's a picture that Percy keeps in his and Artemis' room. Its of a group of people, standing by the pine tree that contained the Golden Fleece. In front of it stood dozens of people, all smiling, waving or pulling funny faces at the camera. Gods, demigods, and friends like Chiron were all in it. They were one big happy family. So, after all the trouble, after all the pain, Percy got his Christmas wish.

He got to see his family truly love each other, just as they will for many Christmases to come.

**Wowee, that was a long one. I started writing this on the 21st, so it's actually amazing that I managed to write 12000 words in only three days. I'm publishing it on Christmas Eve because I know the most readers come in the 48 hours after it's published, so Christmas Eve and Day. I wanted to write a wholesome Christmas special, so here it is. **

**Merry Christmas, guys. Have a Happy New Year.**

**Word Count: 12,270**


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